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48 Hours On A Train: A Review Of The Amtrak Empire Builder
No that title is not clickbait. I did once spend 48 hours on a train travelling from Chicago to Portland non-stop. This was during my gap year, where I spent three months following housesits around the USA. And you might be surprised but it actually ended up costing me more than it would have cost to fly. I’m still not over how procrastinating buying the ticket cost me an extra $150. Originally, I’d found this route as a good alternative to flying across the country and having to find somewhere to stay for two nights. None of the in between cities made sense for a layover and once I saw…
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13 Day USA Roadtrip – How Much I Spent!
Hello, ello, ello, long time no blog post!! But I’m back from my best summer yet working as a camp counsellor at a sleep away camp in the West Virginian mountains. I have soooo much to share about my experience at camp and of course the finances surrounding it but I thought I’d kick it all off with a spending roundup from the roadtrip I did with a few new friends once we left camp. We spent almost two weeks together travelling from West Virginia up the coast to NYC (where we met up with some fellow counsellors, one of whom was kind enough to host us) and then onwards…
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Gap Year Budget Update – 8 Months In
8 months done and dusted!!! That means I graduated 9 months ago 🤯 Wtf!!! I still frequently refer to myself as a student because I just haven’t got over it yet 😂 These past 8 months have been absolutely amazing and have really made me stop and think about the life I want to create going forward. I frequently change my mind on what I want to do next and I don’t think I’ll make a final decision until I absolutely have too. Anyway, enough of my indecision, the end of the month means only one thing around here… it’s time to break down last months spending 🥳 You may have noticed…
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I failed… My £5k Budget is Gone
After 200 days of full time travel, my £5k gap year budget is all gone! I have spent every single penny having an absolutely wonderful time. Ok, so technically I failed. When I initially set this budget I wanted to make it last the entire year, including all the costs associated with my summer job as a camp counsellor. But it soon became apparent that this just wasn’t going to happen. Transportation costs between destinations were way higher than I thought they would be. I actually ended up spending nearly double the amount I’d originally allocated to this cost. I also got carried away a couple of times (especially when…
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March Budget Update – £5k Gap Year
Already a quarter of the way through 2023 😱 Where is the time going? Absolutely insane!! But the end of another month means only one thing in the finance space – it’s time to review and reflect on the month, so here is my March budget update 😄 March has been a kinda chilled one for me, well compared to my previous months that is 😂 My big 5 month trip came to an end and I started leg 3 of my gap year, which is only going to be 6 weeks. Mostly down to visa restrictions but also because the budget is starting to look a little tight! New here? Let…
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£5k Budget Update – February 2023
Halfway through my budget gap year and I still have some money left – woohooo!!! I’m taking that as a win 😂 February has been one hell of a good month! I got to see my parents for a weekend as the couple I was housesitting for welcomed me to have guests to stay, I ticked off two new countries, got another tattoo, saw SiX again, spent quality time with some friends and had a lot of time to read on various overnight journeys – which is always a win 🙌🏻 Mind blowing that I’m at the halfway point already and I still change my mind daily on what I want…
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How Much I Spent Travelling the USA for 3 Months
After years and years of dreaming about travelling the USA, I finally went and did it!! I just spent almost three months following housesits across the country and pretending to live in a bunch of different cities. It was amazing!! Disclaimer – This post contains affiliate links which means I may earn an commission if you follow them. This is at no extra cost to you <3 Where did I go, you ask? Whilst in the planning phase for this trip, I made the decision to follow wherever the housesits took me. This meant I would get free accommodation for most of the trip but it didn’t leave me a…
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How Much I Spent Travelling The UK For 2 Months
I took the first 72 days of my gap year slowly and spent half my time housesitting across my home country and the rest spending quality time with friends and family. My schedule was so jam packed throughout my entire last year of uni so this was a perfect way to slow down. It was also a great way to begin travelling as I never more than 3 hours away from my base incase something went wrong plus I’d never been on an extended solo trip so I wanted to do a test run in a country I am very familiar with. Housesitting in the UK took me to places…
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Complete Guide To Housesitting
I have been housesitting almost full time for the last four months and whenever I mention it I always get a tonne of questions. Trust me, I was exactly the same when I first heard about it. Like, you can stay in someones house while their away for free? Crazy!! Disclaimer: Some of the links in this post are affiliate links meaning if you go through them to make a purchase I may earn a commission. This comes at no extra cost to you <3 In the past four months I have spent a week in Chicago, a month in Seattle, two 5-day stays in Portland, a week in Cambridge…
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£5k Budget Update – December 2022
December, month four of my gap year and the first month I’ve spent fully abroad and zero nights crashing at my parents house 😂. As I’m following where the housesits take me to save on accommodation costs, I spent all of December in the Pacific North West. I’m here until mid-January then I’ll be flying over the east coast for the remaining 3 weeks of my time in the US. Disclaimer – This post contains affiliate links which means I may receive a commission if you use them. This comes at no extra cost to you <3 New here? Let me give you a little context... I graduated from uni…
